Prosecutorial power unrelated to drop in crime

By Jeffrey Butts
Special to The Sun

… State Attorney offices in Leon County and Alachua County recently claimed that prosecutorial discretion to decide which children are tried as adults has led to Florida enjoying “the lowest crime rate we have had in 44 years.” The Leon County state attorney suggested that the prior practice of requiring prosecutors to petition a judge to transfer a child to the adult system was somehow connected to Florida having had “the highest crime rate in the nation” at that time. … These assertions are not supported by relevant data.

[ read the article ]